


One Feather at a Time

by Skylar102



Series: Take These Broken Wings and Learn to Fly [3]
Category: Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Gen, Grooming, Light Angst, Pre-Magnus Bane/Alec Lightwood, Wing Grooming, be patient with these disasters, but we getting there folks, its mainly fluff but my boy alec do be sad sometimes, pinning
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-26
Updated: 2020-05-26
Packaged: 2021-03-02 17:40:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,683
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24390688
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Skylar102/pseuds/Skylar102
Summary: Alec learns how to groom his wings
Relationships: Magnus Bane & Alec Lightwood
Series: Take These Broken Wings and Learn to Fly [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1716808
Comments: 27
Kudos: 219
Collections: Wingo Summer





	One Feather at a Time

**Author's Note:**

> THE BOYS ARE BACK FINALLY
> 
> This fic took two months and a lot of deleting to finally get right dslfjslkdfj
> 
> Who knew writing a wing grooming fic would be so difficult?
> 
> Thank you to my lovely Beta [LawsOfChaos](https://archiveofourown.org/users/lawsofchaos/pseuds/lawsofchaos/works)

Alec and Magnus have been living together for seven months now. They had found and bought a small house in a town on the other side of the country, far away from his home village. Magnus had offered Alec the chance to travel with him to see the riches outside of Idris, but Alec wasn’t ready for that. They had no money and Alec refused to allow Magnus’ plan of kidnapping people for money. So they made a deal. Three years to save up money working around this town and then they leave to see the rest of the world. 

Alec was able to find work in the market at the center of the city working with the local vendors. He had started off just working with Aline and Helen at their spice stall and it snowballed from there. He was never able to say no to helping someone. So he ended up as the local handyman for the market, helping vendors where needed. The pay was perfect and he was able to get Magnus and himself deals on goods. 

Magnus had found a job at a grooming parlor just off the edge of the marketplace. It had become quite the hotspot of the town since Magnus started working there. Alec can’t really blame the townsfolk. Magnus’ burgundy wings were always stunning with every outfit he wore and it definitely caught many people’s attention. If he had a man as beautiful as Magnus grooming his wings, he’d be a regular as well. Which leads him to his current predicament.

Alec lets out a long sigh as he stares at the black feathers in his hands. He was never taught the proper way to groom his wings. Izzy and Jace had offered to help him, but the fear of bringing them bad luck stopped him from saying yes. 

He’s seen Magnus at work, spent enough time in the waiting area for Magnus to be done with his last client before they make the journey home together. He knows the way Magnus’ hands run through a person’s wings, the soft and gentle way he touches the wings, finding where the feathers clump and where loose ones hide. Alec knows it should be simple, but he didn’t factor in that he wouldn’t be able to reach a majority of the backside of his wings.

Alec curls his right wing again in an attempt to reach the feathers at the center. He can see a clump of feathers just out of his reach and if he could just-

“Alexander? What do you want for-” Magnus trails off as he enters Alec’s bedroom. His eyes widen as he stares at the clumps of feathers in Alec’s hand. Magnus’ eyes trail up his body and see the twisted position Alec has his wing in. Alec realizes how this looks and immediately reassures the man.

“No! I didn’t- I wasn’t-” Alec sighs, hanging his head in shame. He releases his hold on the wing. “I was trying to groom my wings and I couldn’t reach the clumps on the backs of my wings.”

“So you were going to break your wings to reach them?” Magnus asks incredulously, stepping closer to the bed.

“It’s not like I have a choice,” Alec snaps at Magnus. He closes his eyes at the wounded look that appears on Magnus’ face. 

“I’m sorry,” he sighs. He feels the bed dip next to him. He feels Magnus’ wings brush against his and shivers at the touch.

“Alexander,” Magnus speaks softly. “You know you can ask me to help. I am more than happy to assist you.”

“I know. I just want to be able to do it on my own. I thought if I watched you do it enough times at your job, I could do it on my own.”

“There’s a difference between watching someone groom a person’s wings and grooming wings yourself.” Alec watches as Magnus scoots towards the center of the bed and sits cross-legged. Magnus pats the space in front of him. “Come here.”

Alec follows suit and climbs onto his bed, sitting across from Magnus. They’re close enough that their knees are touching. Alec can already feel the blood rushing to his face. This is not how he envisioned having Magnus in his bed, but he’s not ready to have that conversation yet. He looks up and Magnus is right there, smiling softly at him. It takes everything in Alec not to close the space between them. 

“Alright,” Magnus says, snapping Alec out of his thoughts. “Now the basics of grooming are simple. You’re looking for any loose and twisted feathers that need to be combed or brushed out.” Magnus brings his wing forward and inspects it for loose feathers. “Right here, you see how these feathers are twisted? What you want to do is start at the top of your wings to get the oil out of the glands at the top-”

“Oil glands?” Alec asks and Magnus turns his head sharply back towards him. Alec hunches his shoulders at the intense look. “Is that a bad question to ask?”

“Alexander,” Magnus says softly, “everyone has oil glands in their wings. It’s how we make sure we’re properly grooming our feathers and make sure they don’t dry.”

“Oh, I didn’t know,” Alec whispers, hanging his head in shame. “I just always took them out when I saw feathers twisted. I didn’t know that you didn’t have to take them out.” 

Alec mentally chastises himself for being such an idiot. He should have known that, even if he was never taught how to groom. He should at least have researched the anatomy of wings in the library when he was younger. What was the point of sneaking through the backdoor to read all of those  dumb fantasy books if not for this? (They weren’t dumb, Alec thinks against the ghost memory of mocking words, there were the only way that Alec could escape the hell that was his life.)

“Alexander, look at me please?” Alec looks up and sees that Magnus is staring at him with sad eyes. “It’s okay that you don’t know. I know from what you’ve told me about your life that it wasn’t easy to learn proper care.” Magnus presses a hand to Alec’s knee, giving it a squeeze. “I would never judge you for that.” 

Alec nods, not trusting his voice. Magnus looks at him for a moment’s more before going back to his wing.

“Alright, now follow me.” 

Alec goes to do the same thing as Magnus on his own wing. Alec presses into the top of his wing and feels the oil gland release, slicking up his fingers. A pressure releases from his wings that he didn’t know was there. Guess that’s what he gets for never using them before. He listens to Magnus as he rakes his fingers through his wings, gently untwisting feathers, removing any loose ones he comes across. 

His wings are crying out with relief at the gentle touches he gives them. Alec never realized how relieving a proper grooming could be for him. He’s always been rough with them, hating their color. He wanted to just get rid of irritations when they happened as fast as possible and go about his life not thinking of them. 

Thanks to Magnus, he’s come to learn not to despise them as much. Agreeing to leave with Magnus was the best thing that’s ever happened to him. Life outside the town he was raised in was a million times better. Alec is proud of the fact that he can have his wings out and not be on constant alert for someone to attack him.

Alec peeks a look over at Magnus as he switches to his other wing. The man has given him all the instructions Alec needs and is now focused on properly grooming his own wings. Alec watches Magnus comb through his own feathers with care. Alec can’t help but think of what it would feel like to have Magnus groom his wings, his ringed fingers brushing through Alec’s feathers with gentle touches and soft smiles. 

A cough takes him out of his thoughts and he sees Magnus staring at him with a smirk. Alec again feels himself blush and goes to start grooming his other wing. They groom their wings for another ten minutes, and before Alec knows it, there’s a small pile of black and burgundy feathers between them.

“How do your wings feel now?” Magnus asks, gathering up the feathers to put in the basket on the floor. 

“Like a huge weight is off them,” Alec admits. “I think those glands had a small build up in them and were putting pressure on my wings. Now they don’t feel as heavy.”

“That’s good, Alexander, but now comes the last part.” Magnus waits until he’s facing Alec again. “The back of your wings.” Alec tenses at those words, but Magnus powers on. 

“Now, we don’t have to do this. I know you are still tentative about others touching your wings. So, if you don’t want me to groom them, I won’t, but… I wouldn’t mind if you did mine?”

Magnus looks nervous at the question. He’s raised a hand to play with his ear cuff like he normally does when he’s unsure. It was an easy tell to pick up on as Magnus only does it when he asks Alec questions about his life. It’s an adorable habit that Alec won’t be calling him out on anytime soon.

“You would let me do that, for you?” 

“Of course I would, Alexander. I trust you.”

Alec doesn’t realize how much those words mean to him until he feels tears well up under his eyes. Alec has lived a life where trust in him was never normal. Sure he was able to trust others, but for someone to trust in him was not something that he was ever able to have. The fact that Magnus is trusting him with something as precious and intimate as his wings? It makes a sob escape his lips before he can keep it in.

“Alexander, are you alright?” Magnus worries as he watches Alec wipe at his eyes. “We don’t have to do this if you’re not ready.”

“No, no, that’s not-” Alec huffs out a wet laugh. He looks up at Magnus with shining eyes. “I would love to groom your wings, Magnus.”

A smile breaks out on Magnus’ face. He reaches up to brush tears off Alec’s face before turning around on the bed. Magnus spreads his wings out and Alec takes a moment before reaching out and brushing through the burgundy feathers. They’re as soft as Alec imagined them to be. 

He loses himself in the grooming process, being even more gentle than he was on his own wings. He would never forgive himself if he hurt Magnus. Judging by the noises that Magnus makes every now and then, Alec assumes he’s doing a good job. When he presses into the oil gland at the top of Magnus’ wings, Magnus lets out a small moan that goes straight to Alec’s groin. 

Alec tries to ignore the desire that pools in his stomach as he continues to groom Magnus’ feathers. By the time he gets to Magnus’ other wing, he’s semi-hard. Alec takes a deep breath and focuses on the task at hand. Now is not the time for this; he doesn’t even know if Magnus feels the same way about him. Sure, he trusts him, but liking him in  _ that _ kind of way is different. Alec doesn’t even know if what he feels is true or just out of some misguided thanks for Magnus rescuing him.

“Okay, I think that’s all of them, though you may have to have one of your coworkers look them over just in case,” Alec mutters as he rests his arms in front of his crotch to hide his predicament. 

“I’m sure you did wonderful, Alexander,” Magnus states as he stretches and shakes out his wings. Magnus turns back around and faces him again. He watches Magnus eye his wings. “Are you sure you don’t want me to groom the back of yours? It would take ten minutes tops.”

Alec considers it before shaking his head. A flash of disappointment appears on Magnus’ face before he schools his expression. Magnus sends him a smile before collecting all of the burgundy feathers and adding them to the basket on the floor. 

“Well, I will leave you to your room and get dinner started. I didn’t realize how hungry I was until now,” Magnus chuckles as he heads towards the door. 

“Magnus, wait,” Alec blurts out as Magnus’ hand reaches the doorknob. Alec opens his mouth, but snaps it shut. This should be easy to ask; it’s just feathers. Feathers that are attached to wings that are attached to his back and have nerves in them. He takes a deep breath. He can do this. It’s just Magnus. 

He mutters the question under his breath.

“What was that?” Magnus asks, a hopeful look in his eyes.

“I asked,” Alec says, his voice louder now, “Would you groom my wings?”

Magnus drops the basket to the ground, feathers flying everywhere. He stands there gobsmacked, his mouth opening and closing before he composes himself. There’s barely contained glee on his face as he replies, already walking back towards the bed, the basket of feathers forgotten on the ground.

“Of course I will, Alexander.” 

Magnus scrambles back onto the bed and sits across from Alec. There’s a slight bounce to his movements. He looks like a kid in a candy store whose parents just said they could choose two pieces of candy instead of one. It both terrifies and calms Alec at the same time.

Alec takes a deep breath and releases it. He sends Magnus a quick smile before turning around. Thankfully, his arousal from earlier is gone due to the nerves of someone about to touch his wings. He doesn’t have to worry about Magnus seeing anything.  _ Though that could easily change depending on how this goes,  _ Alec muses.

He straightens his back and allows his wings to stretch out. He hears Magus let out a gasp behind him, and Alec allows himself to feel slightly proud. All thoughts go out the door when he feels a hand touch his right wing and he immediately tenses and pulls the wing in. The quick movement makes his wing snap on Magnus’ hand and he hears a hiss behind him. Dread fills his stomach as he turns around and sees Magnus cradling his hand against his chest.

“I’m sorry,” Alec cried out. “I’m so sorry Magnus. I didn’t mean to-”

“Hey, hey it’s okay. I’m okay,” Magnus reassures. He holds his hand out, clenching and unclenching it. He waves it a bit before showing it to Alec. “See? No damage done. Though I should apologize to you- I should have let you know I was going to start.”

“No, I shouldn’t have tensed up like that,” Alec argues. “I asked you to do this. I knew what I was getting into when I asked you. Maybe this was a dumb idea. I should have never asked-”

“Alexander, breath,” Magnus interrupts. “You’re going to give yourself a panic attack if you don’t calm down. Now  _ breathe _ .” Alec closes his eyes and follows Magnus’ order. He focuses on his breathing. He relaxes his body and unclenches his fingers from where they were digging into his thighs. 

“You okay now?” Alec nods and opens his eyes, staring at Magnus who doesn’t look mad at him at all. A smile spreads on Magnus’ face. “There you are. Now, do you want to try again or would you like to stop? I don’t want to put you under any stress.”

“No, I-I want to do this. If I can’t do it with you, then how am I supposed to get a stranger to do it if I ever want to get them groomed?”

“Alright, let’s try this again, and this time I will tell you when I am about to touch your wings. Would it be better if I started off somewhere else?”

“I think just don’t start at the base of my wings and I’ll be okay.” Alec turns towards his headboard again and prepares himself for the touch of Magnus’ hands.

“Alright, I am going to start on the right wing at the end and work my way towards your base. If you at any time feel uncomfortable I want you to tell me, okay?” 

He tenses when fingers brush his wing and the fingers pause their movement. Alec relaxes once again and sends Magnus a small nod over his shoulder to continue.

Alec doesn’t know what he thought it would feel like, having another person’s hands on his wings. But this, Magnus’ fingers through his feathers, it feels wonderful. Yes, the man had touched his wing once all those months ago, but that was to help heal where he had been pulling out his feathers. This is different. 

Alec loses himself in the feel of Magnus’ hands. The gentle caress of Magnus’ fingers as they shift through his feathers. He can tell Magnus is going slow for him, trying not to overwhelm him. He melts at the care Magnus is showing him, that he has always shown him. 

Magnus has never once given Alec a reason to doubt him or mistrust him. 

In the seven months that they have traveled and lived together, Magnus has always asked what Alec wants and what he’s okay with. What is not okay and what is okay. He’s been patient, kind, and thoughtful to Alec’s needs through everything they have done. 

The first few weeks after Alec decided to leave with Magnus were rough. Alec went to sleep every night waiting for the other shoe to drop. Waited with dread for the day that Magnus would say he was not worth it and abandon him. That day never came. Magnus sat with him through some of his darkest days, never leaving his side. 

He owes Magnus a debt he doubts he will ever be able to repay.

“Alright, I am almost to the base of your wing,” Magnus says, interrupting his thoughts. “Is that okay?”

“Yeah,” Alec says, his voice hoarse. “Yeah, that’s fine.”

Magnus hesitates before continuing. Alec can feel his eyes stare into the back of his head. He knows if he turns around now he’ll break down crying and that’s the last thing he needs. They fall into a comfortable silence again.

When Magnus gets to the base, Alec lets out a shiver. The touch of Magnus’ fingers combing through the short feathers has a small whimper escaping his mouth before he can stop it. Magnus laughs behind him.

“Sorry,” Alec murmurs, flustered.

“It’s quite alright, Alexander,” Magnus reassures. “That is a common reaction to this part of the wing. Lord knows how many times I’ve had to hear it at my job.”

“Doesn’t make it any less embarrassing,” Alec mumbles. 

“No, it does not, but I know how uncomfortable it is for people who are not used to having someone groom their wings. You have nothing to be ashamed of. Whimper away.”

“Magnus!” Alec laughs. “You can’t just say that.”

“Why not?” Magnus asks and he moves onto his left wing, giving Alec a small warning.

“Because that’s just weird.” Alec moves and stretches his right wing. It feels a million times better than it did before the grooming. He feels slightly foolish for putting this off for so long.

“I don’t know,” Magnus muses, “I think it really bonds two people together if they can whimper in front of each other.” There’s laughter in Magnus’ voice.

“You’re ridiculous.”

“And yet you’re still living with me.”

“There’s nowhere else I want to be,” Alec admits. “You saved my life all those months ago.” He flashes a smile at Magnus over his shoulder. “You’re kinda stuck with me now.” 

Magnus barks out a laugh, mutters something about  _ him  _ being ridiculous as he finishes grooming his left wing. Magnus reaches the base of his wing again. Alec lets out another whimper and they end up laughing together. 

“Well, that does it,” Magnus announces. “How do they feel?”

“Better, a million times better.” Alec moves and flutters his wings to really get a feel at how light they feel now. He turns around on the bed to face Magnus. “Thank you, Magnus.”

“My pleasure, Alexander.” Magnus pats Alec’s knee before getting off the bed. 

Alec watches as Magnus gathers all the black feathers on the bed and brings them to the basket left abandoned by the door, picking up the ones that fell out earlier. With a glance over, Magnus picks up the basket and exits the room, only to pause again and turn back towards Alec.

“Please don’t be ashamed to ask for my help. I am more than happy to help you groom the back of your wings,” he says with sincerity.

“Okay,” Alec nods. “And you too Magnus, I want to help you too. I know you can get it done at your work, but-” Alec feels his face heat for what must be the millionth time today. “I liked grooming your wings.”

“I would love nothing more,” Magnus whispers. There’s a look Alec can’t decipher on his face as the man turns around and leaves Alec alone in his room.

He lets out a breath he didn’t know he was holding and flops down on his bed. He looks at the doorway to make sure that Magnus is no longer there and pulls out a single burgundy feather from where he kept it hidden. He twirls the feather above his head, watching the light catch it, making the hidden gold flakes sparkle. He lowers the feather to his quickly beating heart. His cheeks are starting to hurt with how wide his smile is.

Magnus is truly going to be the death of him.

**Author's Note:**

> Will they admit their feelings for each other? The world may never know.
> 
> Come talk to me on [Twitter](https://twitter.com/Skylar10211)
> 
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> 
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